Photos: Orpheum Theatre through the years

Orpheum Vaudeville

The New Orpheum Theatre opens Dec. 19, 1927. The theatre
included vaudeville acts, such as a comedy acrobatic act and singer
Frank Richardson. Ticket prices in 1927 were 50 cents for adults in
the main floor seating and 35 cents for balcony seats. Children
were charged 15 cents.

RKO New Orpheum Theatre

The RKO New Orpheum Theater, as it was later known, was only four stories tall when it was originally erected in 1927. Four more floors were added in 1948. The theater closed in 1992.

Orpheum sign 2001

In this 2001 file photo, the new Orpheum Theatre sign awaits
elevation above the marquee on the front of the building. The
refurbished Orpheum celebrates its 10th anniversary today.

File photo by Jan Dehner

Orpheum 1948

Top four stories were added to the Orpheum building as shown in
this 1948 photo.

Photo courtesy G.R. Lindblade &

Orpheum Movie Theatre 1968

Dubinsky Bros. Theatres of Lincoln, Neb., remodel and open the
orpheum as a movie theater marking the end of live entertainment. A
suspended ceiling was installed and concealed the chandeliers and
dome of the auditorium.

Photo courtesy G.R. Lindblade &

Orpheum drop ceiling

The ceiling of the Orpheum is uncovered in April 1999, exposing
several original crystal chandeliers.

Photo courtesy G.R. Lindblade &

Orpheum Life with Father playill

Playbill from the Orpheum Theatre's production of "Life with
Father," which graced the stage Feb. 23, 1942 starring Lillian Gish
and Louis Clahern.

Photo courtesy G.R. Lindblade &

Katharine Hepburn

Katharine Hepburn and Joseph Cotten appear in the "The
Philadelpia Story" at the Orpheum in Sioux City, Iowa, Dec. 12,
1952.

courtesy photo

Orpheum grand opening

The Sioux City Symphony performs along with the Siouxland Master Chorale, the Morningside College Chorale and the Briar Cliff University Singers during the grand opening of the Orpheum Theatre on Sept. 15, 2001.

Jim Lee, Sioux City Journal file

Orpheum Theater

Orpheum grand opening

People mingle in the lobby of the Orpheum Theatre at its grand opening in 2001. Ray Shepardson, a theater restoration specialist from Cleveland who directed the Orpheum preservation project, died Monday in Wheaton, Ill., at age 70.

Orpheum grand opening

Mardi Gras Gala

People dine during the Mardi Gras Gala outside the Orpheum Theatre June 30, 2011.

Journal photo by Jim Lee

Guy Fieri

Guy Fieri warms up the crowd at the beginning of his cooking show at the Orpheum Theatre on May 27, 2011.

Jim Lee, Sioux City Journal

Darius Rucker

Country music artist Darius Rucker plays to a crowd of 1,978 at the Orpheum Theatre Wednesday, April 13, 2011. Rucker's hits include "Alright," "It Won't Be Like This For Long" and "Come Back Song." (Journal photo by Laura Wehde)

Iowa Governor's Debate

Irving Jensen Jr.

Irving Jensen Jr. poses for a photo in front of a cartoon of him drawn by famed Disney director Ron Clements at Orpheum Theatre in Sioux City, Iowa on Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2016. Sioux City Journal Photo by Justin Wan

Chris Cornell concert

Sioux City Orpheum Theatre

"Fluffy" (aka stand-up comic Gabriel Iglesias) actually was there. Theater technician Joe Mahaney II talks about some of the celebrities who have signed the backstage wall at the Orpheum Theatre in Sioux City.

Sioux City Orpheum Theatre

Sioux City Orpheum Theatre

The seven-story structure, at 528 Pierce St., was built for $1.27 million in 1927 as a vaudeville and movie palace. After years of neglect, this architectural treasure was brought back to life and is now a performing arts center and home to the Mighty Wurlitzer Organ.

United Flight 232 anniversary panel discussion

An audience assembles for a panel discussion held in conjunction with the 25th anniversary of the United Airlines flight 232 crash in Sioux City, at the Orpheum Theatre in Sioux City, Iowa on Friday, July 18, 2014. (Dawn J. Sagert, Sioux City Journal)